CHINA 2010 FRIDAY 13th AUGUST
Today is Graduation Day and the official ceremony will take place this afternoon. With a free morning we went for a walk ending up in the market buying a different variety of apple that those sold in the supermarket, its taste very much like our Cox’s Orange Pippin. We had already stopped to buy grapefruit from a street fruit stall which at the time was dearer than the supermarket, but then I would have bought items I didn’t really need so I guess we made a saving after all!
Wandering down the narrow stretch between the stalls the market seems to grow with every visit and today we found we could walk up some stone steps to another level where a few women were sat at very old sewing machines but not doing very much by the look of things. How I wished I had my camera today. I do wonder how all these stallholders manage to make a living though. This particular part seemed to sell everything and on a couple of occasions we had to stand aside to let people with barrows through that were loaded with household items on one and brightly patterned men’s shorts on another, the likes of which Keith would not be seen dead in! In the fish market my shopping bag and a man riding an old bicycle became entangled in his front wheel but thankfully I was able to retrieve it before it went under the mudguard and caused an accident. On a very dirty wet path my bag ended up with muddy tyre marks but always armed with a pack of paper tissues I was able to clean most of the dirt off. People think nothing of riding their scooters, electric and other bicycles through the narrow market streets some of them travelling quite fast and tooting all the time. Keith wanted to be at the Training room before 1.30pm so we headed back home for a light lunch.
This afternoon was the climax of 6 weeks training officers to improve their spoken English and build up their confidence at meeting Westerners. I, along with Mander, Mr. Lai and Capt. Chern from Formosa Plastic Marine Co. were to assess them. As we walked into the room Mr. Mai and Mr. Cheng, the two Taiwanese officers, were already there, Mr. Cheng pacing up and down, when not stood in front of a large floral arrangement, practising his presentation. He was still practising when the rest of the students arrived. Keith noticed he was still reading his notices and making gestures when the proceedings began! There was no paperwork and in the end I played no part but to listen to them talk about some aspect of their work at sea. Capt. Chern took the odd photo and made notes and as I was sitting next to Mander noticed that he too was writing, but as it was all in Chinese characters I had no idea what it said. Everything went well, even though I could sense they were all nervous, and finished in good time giving us well over an hour before the official closing ceremony so we returned home to freshen up. Despite the efficient air conditioning it still feels very warm in the room.
The proceedings were due to begin at 4.30pm when several dignitaries from Formosa Plastic Marine Corporation, Xiamen Hailong Manning Co. and Xiamen Maritime Bureau would be present along with the media. At least we had some idea what was going to happen this time and Keith had bought a smart shirt so he could wear the tie he was given after the opening ceremony. Just after 4pm we arrived on the 27th floor to be greeted by the girls, again dressed in their traditional bright red dresses. Receiving our buttonholes and it being quiet I brought out my camera and had them line up – please by the floral arrangements not in front of the restroom! The official photographer must have thought this was a good idea as he got Keith and I to pose with them and then helped me take a better photo using flash, the instructions causing a lot of hilarity between us all. Helen escorted me to my place at the end of a row to sit next to Mr. Mai and the other students, whilst Keith went into an ante-room to talk to Tina, the translator and collect his speech that he previously submitted for translation and an agenda. The room had undergone a massive transformation in our absence with rows of plants and the large floral arrangement now placed in the centre of the top table. Whilst we were waiting I thanked Mr. Huang, a Chief Officer, for the Anxi tea he had given us and received instructions on how to brew it, plus to drink it out of clay cups. (Anxi is Fujian’s best tea growing area and Mr. Huang’s home town. This tea was the cause of one of America’s historical events commonly known as ‘The Boston Tea Party’.) Sat across the aisle were rows of the new students who we would meet informally later. Dignitaries introduced, speeches said, the presentation of certificates to Keith’s students by Keith and the dignitaries (at which point no-one seemed to know what was happening) and finally the handing over of a small ships wheel to a Captain from the next class. This should have taken place in a shower of confetti but of the 4 tubes only 2 worked much to the embarrassment of the operators. It would appear these ceremonies will continue under the title of the closing and opening ceremony and no doubt the media will be invited again.
We all adjourned to the restaurant not far from the office where once again we had a banquet. For over two hours we ate and drank and when the dignitaries at our table departed some of Keith’s ex students came over to sit and talk with us and to thank Keith once again for his help with their English. Mr. Liu talked about the car he is contemplating buying and the subject had been discussed in class as he could not decide on a VW Polo or a Mazda 4X4. Keith and the other students suggested the Polo would be the better buy unless he wanted to take his family up the mountains! Some of the new students and a couple of ladies were at another table, one of the ladies being from Shanghai’s branch of China Shipping and had been sitting at our table. A captain, currently involved in overseeing the building of new ships, came to introduce himself to Keith and said he wished to attend the classes but time would not allow it. However before we left he said he was going to make an effort to attend some of them. His English was excellent!
Wandering down the narrow stretch between the stalls the market seems to grow with every visit and today we found we could walk up some stone steps to another level where a few women were sat at very old sewing machines but not doing very much by the look of things. How I wished I had my camera today. I do wonder how all these stallholders manage to make a living though. This particular part seemed to sell everything and on a couple of occasions we had to stand aside to let people with barrows through that were loaded with household items on one and brightly patterned men’s shorts on another, the likes of which Keith would not be seen dead in! In the fish market my shopping bag and a man riding an old bicycle became entangled in his front wheel but thankfully I was able to retrieve it before it went under the mudguard and caused an accident. On a very dirty wet path my bag ended up with muddy tyre marks but always armed with a pack of paper tissues I was able to clean most of the dirt off. People think nothing of riding their scooters, electric and other bicycles through the narrow market streets some of them travelling quite fast and tooting all the time. Keith wanted to be at the Training room before 1.30pm so we headed back home for a light lunch.
This afternoon was the climax of 6 weeks training officers to improve their spoken English and build up their confidence at meeting Westerners. I, along with Mander, Mr. Lai and Capt. Chern from Formosa Plastic Marine Co. were to assess them. As we walked into the room Mr. Mai and Mr. Cheng, the two Taiwanese officers, were already there, Mr. Cheng pacing up and down, when not stood in front of a large floral arrangement, practising his presentation. He was still practising when the rest of the students arrived. Keith noticed he was still reading his notices and making gestures when the proceedings began! There was no paperwork and in the end I played no part but to listen to them talk about some aspect of their work at sea. Capt. Chern took the odd photo and made notes and as I was sitting next to Mander noticed that he too was writing, but as it was all in Chinese characters I had no idea what it said. Everything went well, even though I could sense they were all nervous, and finished in good time giving us well over an hour before the official closing ceremony so we returned home to freshen up. Despite the efficient air conditioning it still feels very warm in the room.
The proceedings were due to begin at 4.30pm when several dignitaries from Formosa Plastic Marine Corporation, Xiamen Hailong Manning Co. and Xiamen Maritime Bureau would be present along with the media. At least we had some idea what was going to happen this time and Keith had bought a smart shirt so he could wear the tie he was given after the opening ceremony. Just after 4pm we arrived on the 27th floor to be greeted by the girls, again dressed in their traditional bright red dresses. Receiving our buttonholes and it being quiet I brought out my camera and had them line up – please by the floral arrangements not in front of the restroom! The official photographer must have thought this was a good idea as he got Keith and I to pose with them and then helped me take a better photo using flash, the instructions causing a lot of hilarity between us all. Helen escorted me to my place at the end of a row to sit next to Mr. Mai and the other students, whilst Keith went into an ante-room to talk to Tina, the translator and collect his speech that he previously submitted for translation and an agenda. The room had undergone a massive transformation in our absence with rows of plants and the large floral arrangement now placed in the centre of the top table. Whilst we were waiting I thanked Mr. Huang, a Chief Officer, for the Anxi tea he had given us and received instructions on how to brew it, plus to drink it out of clay cups. (Anxi is Fujian’s best tea growing area and Mr. Huang’s home town. This tea was the cause of one of America’s historical events commonly known as ‘The Boston Tea Party’.) Sat across the aisle were rows of the new students who we would meet informally later. Dignitaries introduced, speeches said, the presentation of certificates to Keith’s students by Keith and the dignitaries (at which point no-one seemed to know what was happening) and finally the handing over of a small ships wheel to a Captain from the next class. This should have taken place in a shower of confetti but of the 4 tubes only 2 worked much to the embarrassment of the operators. It would appear these ceremonies will continue under the title of the closing and opening ceremony and no doubt the media will be invited again.
We all adjourned to the restaurant not far from the office where once again we had a banquet. For over two hours we ate and drank and when the dignitaries at our table departed some of Keith’s ex students came over to sit and talk with us and to thank Keith once again for his help with their English. Mr. Liu talked about the car he is contemplating buying and the subject had been discussed in class as he could not decide on a VW Polo or a Mazda 4X4. Keith and the other students suggested the Polo would be the better buy unless he wanted to take his family up the mountains! Some of the new students and a couple of ladies were at another table, one of the ladies being from Shanghai’s branch of China Shipping and had been sitting at our table. A captain, currently involved in overseeing the building of new ships, came to introduce himself to Keith and said he wished to attend the classes but time would not allow it. However before we left he said he was going to make an effort to attend some of them. His English was excellent!
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